Monday, August 14, 2006
Packaging ingenuity bolsters the health care business: companies focus on patient safety, regulatory compliance, production efficiencies and anti-coun
It's been a busy year for manufacturers of prescription drugs, over-the-counter (OTC) products and dietary supplements.
They were creating new drug delivery systems ... helping to insure patient safety ... control ling costs ... complying with regulations ... trying to stay ahead of counterfeiters ... examining their supply chain to make it safer and more cost efficient ... and thinking about the packaging needs of tomorrow.
A look at some of today's trends also reveals what's in play for future packaging innovations.
* Demand drives market growth
Our population is aging. The 50-plus segment is growing faster than any other. When you consider that nearly 75% of pharmaceutical customers are senior citizens, it's no wonder that the drug business is booming.
Baby boomers, the largest buying group in America, have started to reach their fifties. Although they are getting older, they refuse to get old. They want to stay healthy. The fitness craze has helped fuel the popularity of vitamins and other dietary supplements. More than 150 million consumers use supplements and nutraceutical products each year to treat or prevent ailments, to help with weight loss and/or to boost strength and energy.
In addition, strong activity in the biotech sector is producing new types of drugs. Nearly every company in the top 20 on our pharmaceutical list (see p.56) has invested heavily in biotech R&D to ensure a secure product pipeline.
The packaging solutions:
The new crop of products is causing drug manufacturers to consider novel drug delivery methods during product development. In addition to the typical tablet or capsule, we're seeing more inhalers, transdermal patches, aerosols and needle-less injection devices designed to help improve a product's efficacy and reduce side effects.
These packages--and others, such as prefilled syringes--also help simplify drug administration. Packages that reduce the number of preparation steps and/or help ease administration respond to two critical issues: (1) health care professionals are busy, which heightens the potential for dispensing errors, and (2) more and more products are being administered by the patient or a caregiver at home or in an extended-care facility. Not having to visit a doctor's office cuts costs and saves time for both patient and doctor.
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